1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-terminal capacitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
As electronic devices are becoming smaller and increasing their capacitance, there is also an increasing demand for smaller and increased-capacitance multilayer ceramic capacitors used in electronic devices. Additionally, due to the provision of higher-frequency, lower-voltage, and lower-power-consumption electronic devices, multilayer ceramic capacitors having a small equivalent series inductance (ESL) are required. As an example of a multilayer ceramic capacitor having a small ESL, a three-terminal ceramic capacitor is known. In this three-terminal ceramic capacitor, the distance between outer electrodes is decreased so as to decrease the path through which a current flows, thereby reducing the inductance of the three-terminal ceramic capacitor.
An example of such a three-terminal ceramic capacitor is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-144996.
However, if the distance between outer electrodes is small, the insulation resistance (IR) value between the side outer electrodes is likely to be reduced. Accordingly, a certain distance between outer electrodes is required. However, if the position at which a paste for forming an outer electrode is applied is displaced, the distance between outer electrodes is decreased.